What is a Sim?

Sims are usually based on popular TV shows and movies - like Star Trek - and can take place in a chat room, on a message board, or over E-mail. In the sim, the simmers will pretend to be on a starship - for example - traveling across the galaxy battling aliens and saving the day. Everyone will play their character and have an assigned post - such as the Chief Engineer - whose duties they must perform.

The crew of the sim will coordinate with each other and make up the action as they go along, there is also a separate Sim Master (The Commanding Officer) who guides the sim, interjecting plot twists.

Your Character

Your character it the basis of your simming experience. Just like any TV show or movie, in a sim you act out a character that you develop and explore over time. The level of character development depends on the person and sim. Sometimes, people are happy just playing a slightly modified version of themselves in the sim. Others let their imaginations run wild and develop an alien or totally different person to explore their motivations.

All characters should possess a basic history and set of traits, strengths and weaknesses. In the sim, it is up to you to act out your character, and to get to know the other characters.

The Crew

The crew is the most important part of any sim. Without them, there wouldn't be a sim. With time, crews usually become close and develop a good understanding of each other - which is vital for a successful sim.

In the sim, crews must function as a team. Everyone has a character with certain strengths and weaknesses, and an assigned task to carry out. The crew must work together during the sim (even if by working together their characters are fighting), using their characters skills and their post to solve the mission at hand, win a battle, or what ever happens to be going on in the sim. Hot shots and Rambo types who try to go off and do everything themselves never save the day. It takes everyone working together to make a successful sim.

The Sim Master

He or she is the one who makes up the mission, and gives all of the info necessary to keep the sim moving, plays additional characters (non-player characters, or NPCs), and provides computer and sensor information. However, it is your job as one of the crew to complete the mission. The mission is likely to change from time to time based on discoveries made by the crew, the ending is not set in stone - you play an important part and your actions help the team to achieve that.

CART

This acronym describes four aspects that are very important to any Advanced SIMmer. It stands for: Communication, Adaptability, Respect, and Teamwork.

Communication

In character communication is key to the quality of a SIMulation. Everyone on the SIM needs to communicate with each other in order to understand what is going on. This is one of the key purposes of the weekly SIM Report. This is the Command Teams communication to the crew to keep them informed about what is happening. It is also important to communicate with your fellow crewmembers. The more you communicate, the better the SIM will be!

Adaptability

Things will not always go the way you plan for them to go. Surprises can be just around the corner. You must learn to adapt your plans to deal with situations as they arise for your character. This may mean changing your plan completely, or even postponing it for a later date.

Respect

It is important that you respect your fellow crewmembers, and their characters. No one likes an abusive person, and being abusive can result in expulsion from your SIM. Remember, that in SIM, you cannot always be the center of attention, sometimes you need to take a role on the side and let others run things.

Teamwork

A SIM that does well, is a SIM where the crew all work together towards a common goal: Having fun. Teamwork is what the other three terms add up to when you put it all together. Work with your other crew mates. Even if you do not like some one, you must be able to work with them, especially when it comes to SIMming. If you are unable to do this, it can create real problems for you, and the SIM you are on.

If you're up to the challenge, the first steps starts by clicking on Join!